After Koretzky’s double at Les Gets — taking the XCC and the XCO wins — his confidence is soaring, and showing in his riding on this S-Works Epic Evo. Not long after the Les Gets World Cup, Koretzky took to the Olympic test event, where he snagged another victory.
Now, we caught up with Koretzky and his XCC-winning Specialized S-Works Epic EVO stateside at Snowshoe!
A big factor in Koretzky’s motivation is most definitely Olympic selection. France only has two spots for the home 2024 Paris games and a sizable talent pool to choose from…like Jordan Sarrou.
The World Cup XCC Race at Snowshoe
Rolling into the XCC race on Friday in Snowshoe, WV, Victor Koretzky of Specialized Factory Racing was confident and collected, and it showed.
When the lights turned green, Luca Schwarzbauer #3 (Canyon) took his place at the front of the charging pack and up the first climb.
On his wheel was World Cup cross-country leader #1 Nino Schurter (Scott-SRAM MTB), a battle that repeated in the XCO race, too (with white number plates on Sunday).
#13 at the front
But it was only a short time before the upside-down #13 number plate of Koretzky made its way to the front.
After a full lap, a small break was clear of the group: Koretzky, Schwarzbauer, Schurter, and #4 Sarrou — pushing the pace. At the start of the second lap, Schwarzbauer pushed on the start climb and through the first set of turns. Last year’s winners, Chris Blevins and World Champ Tom Pidcock, were left in the wake of the furious pace set at the front.
At lap three, the group lulled slightly, allowing more to join, including favorite Vlad Dascălu (Trek Factory Racing) and Charlie Aldridge (Cannondale Factory Racing).
On the final lap, Schwarzbauer led and was immediately attacked by Aldridge going into the climb and turns. Koretzky waited patiently and went all in before the muddy, rocky downhill.
His move strung together the muddy rock feature and the slight uphill following. His effort distanced the chasing group.
Koretzky found a slight gap in the final artificial rock feature and finishing turns.
Countryman Jordan Sarrou made a last-ditch effort to catch his compatriot but came up slightly short, finishing seconds behind, with Schwarzbauer rounding out the podium.
It’s All About The Bike: S-Works Epic EVO
Victor Koretzky chose the trusted S-Works Epic Evo over the newer, lighter & simpler short travel Epic World Cup for the XCC Friday.
And that means he will race the same setup for Sunday’s XCO.
Koretzky Epic EVO had some cool bits that caught our eyes. Especially the RockShox Flight Attendant-equipped prototype SID and SIDLuxe Shock – with taped on AXS battery for extra security.
While the Flight Attendant isn’t new for the Specialized team, it is getting under more riders. We’ve previously covered it on Sina Frei’s Specialized Epic EVO here. While in the Specialized Team tent, we noticed some prefer the new automatic electronically-controlled suspension. But others still chose a manual grip lockout.
Victor’s S-Works Epic Evo has all the top-end trappings from Specialized — like S-Works Romin Evo Mirror saddle. And the top from SRAM — like this XX SL AXS Transmission.
And that cool custom made-to-order Darimo IX2 AL stem.
Coming out from that stem… You’ll notice that Koretzky opts for SRAM blips over the traditional paddle design on the latest SRAM XX SL Eagle drivetrain / transmission.
Koretzky favors the SRAM Level Ultimate brakes with 160mm rotors front and rear.
The frame is custom-made for Specialized Factory racing in sparkly red and silver. And the team rolls on Roval Control SL wheels with ceramic bearings inside.
Koretzky’s tires are Specialized prototypes labelled for Victor. But from what we can see, they look identical to the Specialized Renegade tire production model. This similarity to the current offering usually means a compound change or internal construction update. All that we can’t see from the outside.
We look forward to seeing what Sunday’s Cross Country race brings for Victor Koretzky.
Tech Specs: Victor Koretzky’s Specialized S-Works Epic EVO
- Frame: Specialized Epic EVO
- Fork: Rock Shox SID Ultimate w/ Flight Attendant
- Crankset: SRAM XX SL 40
- Chain: SRAM XX 12-speed flat top
- Cassette: XX SL 10-52T
- Pedals: HT
- Grips: ESI
- Wheels: Roval Control SL
- Seatpost: RockShox
- Seat: S-Works Romin Mirror
- Bars: Specialized Control Carbon SL
- Tires: Specialized Renegade proto front 2.35″
